Dirigible headlight.



H. L. GALBRAITH.

DIBIGIBLE HEADLIGHT.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 17, 1913.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

TUE.

HENRY L. GALBRAITH, OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA.

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. i l, 191 1.

Application filed July 17, 1913. Serial No. 779,525.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY L. GALBRAITH, acitizen of the United States, residing at Bozeman, in the county ofGallatin and State of Montana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Dirigible Headlights, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to that class of headlights for automobiles andother vehicles, which are connected to the steering mechanism of thevehicle in such a manner that they are automatically shifted when thevehicle is making a turn or traveling on a curve, whereby the beam oflight is made to follow the curve of the road instead of being thrown toone side thereof to follow the course of the vehicle body.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an operatingconnection for the lamp which is eflicient and reliable in operation,and which is not affected by the rocking movement of the vehicle body,and which is also simple in construction and readily applied withoutaltering the structure of the vehicle or that of the steering gear.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in a novelcombination and arrangement ofv parts to be hereinafter described andclaimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in whichFigure l is a side elevation of the front portion of an automobile,showing the ap plication of the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a plan viewshowing the connection between the lamp bracket stem and the lampshifting device. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a slight modification.

In the drawing denotes the side-bars of the chassis of an automobile and11 is the front axle to which the steering wheels 12 are connected by aknuckle joint 13, as usual, said joint having the customary steeringarms 14 which are connected by a reach rod 15. One of the knuckles hasan arm 16 to which the steering rod 17 is connected. These parts are allconstructed and arranged in the ordinary manner, and as nothing isclaimed with respect thereto, a further description thereof is deemedunnecessary. Each lamp 18 is carried by a bracket 19 having a verticalstem 20 which is mounted for rotation in a bearing 21 carried by theside-bar 10. The lower end of the stem depends from the bearing, and tosaid end is made fast a grooved pulley 22. To the steering arm is madefast, by a clip or other suitable means 23, an upstanding bracket arm24: terminating at its upper extremity in a horizontal portion 25, whichis located above the knuckle-joint 13 and crosses a point which is inline with the axis of said joint. To the part 25 are fastened, by meansof suitable clips 26, the two ends of a cable or other flexibleconnection 27, the connections being made on opposite sides of andequidistant from the axis of the knucklejoint 13. The bearing 21 has alateral branch 28 carrying at the bottom a stud 29 on which is pivoted,to swing in a horizontal plane, a support 30 for two guide pulleys 31,said support being an arm carrying at its extremity the journals of thepulleys. The cable27 passes around the pulley 22 and one end, afterpassing around one of the guidepulleys 31, extends to the part 25 and isconnected thereto. The other end of the cable passes around the otherguide pulley 31 and extends to the part 25 and is connected thereto. Thetwo ends of the cable are con nected to the part 25 on opposite sides ofthe axis of the knuckle joint 13. To the part 28 is anchored a spring 32having its free end bearing against the arm 30. This spring tends toswing the arm in a direction to hold the cable 27 taut, and also allowthe free and accurate working of the lamp as the body of the car adjustsitself to the axle 011 rough roads. Both lamps 18 are provided with theherein described operating means.

In operation, the movement of the steering arms 1% swings the parts 25in a horizontal plane, which motion is transmitted to the lamps, by thecables 27, and the latter are thus swung around with the wheels 12, sothat the beams of light are made to follow the direction of the wheels.

The arms 2% are in two sections connected by a hinge joint 33 to permitlateral motion, and the arms are kept firmly in position by braces. Eachof these braces comprises an arm 3& which is made fast to the axle 11and carries a telescoping rod 35 having its outer end connected by aclip 36 to the part 25. A spring 37 is coiled around the rod between anabutment 3S thereon, and the outer end of the arm 3st. The telescopingpart 35 is for the purpose of allowing the swing of the part 25 relativeto the axle 11. The

pulley 22 has a grooved periphery in which the cable 27 seats. The cableis made fast to the pulley by a clamping screw 39 threaded through ayoke tO carried by the pulley.

In order to accurately adjust the parts, the pulley 22 has an innersection 4E1 provided with a central square aperture L2 through which thestem 20 passes. The inner section has a radially extending finger 4L3which is located between two axially alined adjusting screws 44:threaded in opposite directions through lugs a5 on the outer portion ofthe pulley. By operating the screw the inner section oi the pulley canbe rotated relative to the outer section to properly adjust the lamp tothe operating devices. The pulley 22 is held in place on the stem 20 bya washer 46 and nut 47;

Fig. 5 shows a slight modification in which the cable 27 passes directlyto the pulley 22, the guide-pulleys 31 being dispensed with.

I claim:

1. The combination with a vehicle and its steering arm; of a bracketcarried by the steering arm, a lamp having a rotatable supporting-stem,a pulley fixed to said stem, said pulley comprising inner and outersections which are adjustable angularly relative to each other, and aflexible connection'passing around the pulley and having its endsconnected to the bracket.

2. The combination with a vehicle and its steering arm; of a bracketcarried by the steering arm, a lamp having a rotatable supporting-stem,a pulley fixed to said stem, said pulley comprising inner and outersections which are adjustable angularly relative to each other, a fingerextending radially from one of the sections, and opposite axially alinedscrews carried by the other section, between which screws the fingerextends, and a flexible connection passing around the pulley and havingits ends connected to the bracket. 7

3. The combination with a vehicle, an axle, a steering wheel, aknuckle-joint connection between the axle and the steering wheel, and asteering arm extending from the knucklejoint; of a bracket carried bysaid steering arm and having a horizontal arm located above theknucklejoint and crossing a point which is in alinement with the axis ofsaid j o-int, said bracket being in hinged sections,- a brace betweenthe axle and the horizontal arm, said brace comprising telescopicallyconnected sections, a lamp having a rotatable supporting-stem, a pulleyfixed to said stem, and a flexible connection passing around the pulleyand having its ends connected to the horizontal arm on opposite sides ofthe knuckle-joint axis.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY L. GALBRAITH.

lVitnesses L. A. BRITTAN, ALFoRD YERGEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). C

